Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbiz reporter that said Andy Coulson was aware of the phone-hacking going on by his subordinates is now allegedly dead. And the police in the UK are treating his death as unexplained rather than suspicious.
The Guardian is reporting Hoare has been found dead at his Watford home on Langley Road. Hoare, just last week boasting that there was more to come in the phone-hacking scandal that has prompted an FBI investigation in the States, did have a problem with alcohol and drugs. But police aren't saying how he met his end at this time, and they have not confirmed that it was him they found dead.
News of the World has taken a public beating in the press since the phone-hacking scandal erupted and Sean Hoare has remained an integral figure as he continued to discuss the role Coulson allegedly played in the activities of his reporters.
In a BBC interview, Hoare said his editor at the time, Coulson, asked him to tap into phone lines. As of that disclosure, Coulson was adamently denying any active participation or knowledge of the phone-hacking.
Last week, in a New York Times piece, Hoare was once again the center of the controversy, telling the NY Times reporter that he and other News of the World reporters had utilized police technology to locate people. The technology, known as "pinging" helped him and other News of the World personnel locate people via their mobile phone signals. Hoare also said police were paid off to assist.
The Guardian was told by Hoare last week that the News of the World's news desk personnel assisted in the location of potential article targets as well, helping to narrow down their specific location.
"There's more to come. This is not going to go away," Hoare told The Guardian last week.
Now Sean Hoare is allegedly dead and his death is not being labeled suspicious, despite the allegations put forth last week by the former News of the World reporter. To read about the arrests made in the case to date, and the people brought down by Hoare's declarations, click here.
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Sean Hoare was being very outspoken about his intent to continue to disclose information regarding the phone-hacking scandal. The scandal has prompted scrutiny of law enforcement as well as resulted in the closing of News of the World's publication and impacted people at the highest level of the organization.
In addition, law enforcement investigations have been launched elsewhere, specifically the U.S. -- by the FBI -- which further supports the need to rule Sean Hoare's death as suspicious. Despite his prior drug and alcohol problems, Sean Hoare had managed to live through them in times past successfully -- up through last weeks, in fact. And his disclosures had been felt to be so spot-on that it warranted official closings and investigations by legitimate authorities.
That makes it likely that Sean Hoare could have died due to foul play rather than an accidental overdose at this late stage in his acknowledged drug addicted lifestyle.
We recommend you also read Radell Smith's other criminal profile articles:
"Rupert Murdoch is 'The quiet assassin' says reporter': Now dead reporter found"
FBI raid on Anonymous hackers homes: Murdoch a target, Assange a party to it?
"One reporter dead, two editors arrested in Murdoch phone-hacking scandal"
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